Another roll of HP5 with the Olympus Mju ii

After discovering that yes, my old Olympus Mju II does indeed work, I put another roll of Ilford HP5 through its paces to see what I could come up with on my commute. Again, it’s another mixed bag of images, which I guess I need to learn is par for the course with film photography. But the key for me is to keep taking it out, keep trying shots and keep trying out new approaches. I’m never going to take 36 bangers, I just need to accept that there will just be a handful that come off, whilst the majority…don’t. I mean, it’s quite a pricey endeavour when you look at it like that, but sooner or later its bound to pay off, right? RIGHT?

This time I tried a different lab for processing: AG Photographic in Birmingham. Coming to a grand total of £24.43, the processing included a high resolution 8bit JPEG scan (with no adjustments), negatives sleeved in Kenro translucent paper ring binder sleeving, and scans delivered via email. Fairly pricey, I guess. But the service was excellent. I sent the film for processing on Wednesday 11th January. They received them on the 12th and by the 13th I was able to download the films on my iPad, transfer to Lightroom and make some light edits. Less than 48hrs between posting them and receiving them. Now that’s pretty impressive! Maybe I caught them on a quiet week and turnaround was quicker than is typical, but less than 48hrs was pretty impressive and helped soothe the pain of the bill (again, something I’d probably need to get used to anyway with film photography).

So, that’s the processing, what about the images…ok…let’s dive into them…

As per the previous batch, there were a number of photos where the focus just wasn’t quite on it:

I’m still yet to figure out why I’ve not quite nailed the focus in these shots. I tried to focus on a particular spot using the crosshair, moved the camera and fired the shot but something is obviously not quite right. The one above was shot in daylight (albeit around sunrise) and the person was walking through the shot, not running. Maybe it’s down to the camera (an easy excuse which I have no shame in employing when it suits!), or maybe I just screwed up the shot. I dunno.

That said, some other shots that missed focus seemed less of a problem to me, for example, the two shots below taken in the rain:

Even though in both of those I missed focus, I kinda don’t mind and I’m not particularly unhappy with them. They could be better, but I’ll take them given I was shooting quickly and in the rain. The top one I thought I was much closer when I took the shot than it turns out. I guess I’m still judging the focal length.

Others came out pretty sharp which I was pleased with, even if the compositions could have been better.

And there were a couple of experiments that didn’t quite come off (but I’m cool with that, I’d rather try things out and see what happens).

And then there was the odd shot that I was just really pleased with…

So in short, still got a lot to learn. I’ve got a third film on the go now, so we’ll see what comes of that.

I’ve put together a selection of images in the gallery below, would be interested to hear which you like (if any!) or any other constructive comments you may have.

Shooting Ilford HP5 with the Olympus Mju II

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about rediscovering my Mju II and buying a roll of film to give it a run out after twenty years of it gathering dust in a cupboard. Having finished the film and taken it in for processing, I now have my first roll of film back from the developers. So…how did I get on with it?

Well, it was a mixed bag. It was interesting shooting with film again, particularly with a point and shoot that, whilst having some strong points, does have its flaws too. The thing that came to mind to me most when shooting with it, were the words of Henri Cartier-Bresson:

“When a photographer raises his camera at something that is taking place in front of him, there is one moment at which the elements in motion are in balance. Photography must seize upon this moment.”

That was what I struggled with most. Often I would find myself settling on a composition then waiting, but waiting just a little too long. I frequently found myself thinking “not yet…not yet…not yet” waiting for the perfect moment where everything was exactly placed. More often than not, I was not decisive. I struggled throughout the roll to identify the right moment. A few times I think I got it, but too often I was just too slow…too hesitant. Of course, with digital I’m used to shooting a whole load of shots, knowing that one will be the “right” shot. Obviously, shooting film you don’t have that luxury (certainly not with the current cost of film and film processing anyway!). You have to seize on the moment.

Of all the photos from this first roll of film, I think this one came closest to being the kind of shot I wanted to capture:

I really like the tones and I was pleased I was able to capture one person in shot on what is otherwise quite a busy thoroughfare. The image itself was created by using reflections from glass panels running along the bridge. There are parts of the bridge with a black panel that, when the light is right, casts a reflection of the people walking across the bridge. This was somewhat of an experiment as I wasn’t sure it would come out as I wanted, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got the film back from developing. It just had the kind of feel to it that I liked. A bit of atmosphere.

Another of my favourites, albeit a pretty straightforward shot, was this one:

person walking past a wall with Wonder Full written on it.

Not particularly original, but I like the background, the position of the subject and the leaves in the upper corners. I’ll take more interesting photos (I hope!), but I was pleased that this one was just…right. Composition was ok, focus was good, I caught the person at the right point in their stride. Nothing spectacular, but pleasing technically given I’d not shot with this camera for quite some time.

But it wasn’t all quite so pleasing. It clearly took me a while to get the focus right. Quite a few shots I missed focus as I tried to work out shooting with the Mju II. No biggie, I didn’t expect 36 bangers. And besides, you have to make mistakes to learn, right?

person walking past a mural

And there were times where I tried shooting without using the viewfinder and…well…

head of a person at the bottom of the frame with tudor framed building in the background

But overall, the roll wasn’t too bad. I’m currently working through a second roll of HP5 and I think I have learnt from this first roll. More shots in the gallery below. Let me know what you think!